AN: Hello, dear Addek fans. It's me again. :)

So. I wrote a while back. Like a really really long while back, more as a writing exercise than anything. I was just trying to exercise my writing brain cells and didn't intend to post this. And over time, I lost interest in writing it. But I rediscovered it about a month ago, and started editing and re-editing and writing and re-writing until I frustratedly decided it would never be perfect anyway. And since I'd gone through all the trouble of writing a big chunk of this story already, I figured I might as well post it in case anyone decides it's worth the time or actually enjoys it. So here you go.

As a briefer, this story is only going to be 12 chapters. Why? Because they're set in each month of the year. I did a similar thing with my first Addek fic (Around the Sun) and I don't know. I guess I enjoy knowing how long the story is going to be. It helps me plan out the way the chapters will play out. Now. As a result- the chapters are pretty hefty. They're longer than most chapters are in multi-chaptered fics, and if I had the patience for it, I could even break down each chapter into smaller chapters. But I wanted to stick to the 12 months, so here we are.

I apologize in advance if Meredith will appear a little whiny in the future chapters. She redeems herself eventually (in my opinion), but I swear I didn't intend for her to sound the way she does in this fic. It's part of writing and re-writing and deciding it won't be perfect so in the end I just let it be. I also apologize if Derek will also be pretty whiny. I think he is in the show. He's childish and immature sometimes, and I think this story reflects that, but also magnifies it a little.

Anyway. Hope you guys enjoy and let me know what you think. THANK YOU SO MUCH to everyone who had read my previous Addek stories. It means a whole lot to me that you have. And thank you for taking the time to read this mammoth that's coming. :) As always, I hope everyone is well!

"You'll never guess who I ran into today," Mark said as he sidled up next to Derek who was filling out a chart at the nurses' station.

"The Queen of England," Derek replied without looking up.

Mark nudged him. "Try again."

"Mark, I'm busy," Derek said impatiently. "If I'll never be able to guess who you ran into, you might as well just tell me."

"You're no fun when you're in a crabby mood," Mark observed lightly. "You really should move out of that frat house you live in."

"Mark," he warned.

"A surgeon needs sleep," Mark reasoned, "And between Meredith's snoring and her friends banging in all the other rooms, I'm sure as hell you're not getting much. And that makes you especially crabby."

"I am not crabby," Derek replied defensively, finally looking up from his chart. "So are you gonna tell me who you ran into or not?"

Mark grinned excitedly. "I'll give you a clue," he said, to which Derek rolled his eyes. "It's the doctor replacing Peterson as head of neonatal."

Derek's brow furrowed as he racked his head for a neonatologist he knew. When it took more than a second for Derek to hazard a guess, Mark gave him an exasperated look.

"Seriously?"

"What?" Derek replied. "It's not like we know a lot of neonatologists."

"Were you not listening to the chief when he said last Monday that he's merging the department with OB GYN?"

"Really?" Derek asked, surprised. That was definitely a unique arrangement. There were few hospitals he knew of with a merged neonatal and maternal unit.

Mark sighed in annoyance. "You really do need sleep," he commented dryly before he nudged him. "Try again."

Derek frowned. "I don't know," he said honestly, unable to really think after he was paged for an emergency craniotomy at four in the morning. It was currently 9:00 am and he still hadn't had his morning coffee.

"How many surgeons do you know who is both an OB GYN and a neonatologist?" Mark asked.

Derek sighed. "Mark, just cut to the chase would you."

"Fine," he replied. "But you're no fun," he continued. At Derek's expectant look, he grinned. "I ran into Addison at the cafeteria this morning."

"Who?" Derek asked, not believing his ears.

"Addison Montgomery," Mark smirked. "In the flesh. At Seattle Grace Hospital."

"Really?" Derek replied incredulously. Addison Forbes Montgomery, at SGH?

Mark nodded excitedly. "She looks great as ever. We had a quick little chat before she was paged. But man, Derek, she is still the same old Addison."

"Wow," Derek said, a little lost for words. Never in his mind did he think he would ever run into Addison again. Let alone work with her. In the same hospital. Possibly run into her daily. And operate with her. And work on cases together. Just. Wow.

"Yeap," Mark agreed. "Aren't you excited- the Three Musketeers back in the same hospital?"

Derek sighed tiredly. "Mark, we haven't been the Three Musketeers in a long time."

"You could be a little more excited," Mark commented, noting Derek's lack of enthusiasm. "You okay?"

"I'm fine," was Derek's swift reply. "I just got out of an early morning OR and I could use some coffee."

Mark nodded. "But this is good right? I mean, you're okay?" The concern was evident in Mark's tone.

"I'm okay," he replied, trying to sound reassuring. "I'm surprised, but it's fine, really."

Mark flashed him a skeptical look but he decided now wasn't the time to push the topic. "If you say so," he said. "Anyway, I gotta go. Go get yourself some coffee would you. And maybe some shut eye in an on-call room. You look like hell and it's only 9 AM."

Derek rolled his eyes before nodding in agreement. Mark flashed one last curious look before he went the other way down the hall.

Derek sighed. This was definitely big news. He and Addison had a lot of history, the bulk of which he had not even mentioned to Meredith yet. And now she was here, working in the same hospital where he would probably have to work with her too.

He wasn't sure what to think. Underneath his very tired exterior, he was pretty certain he was excited to see her. They hadn't seen each other in years. They used to be inseparable- himself, Addison and Mark. They were the best of friends. But he was also indubitably nervous about seeing her again. Addison, his ex-fiancee, the woman he thought he was going to spend the rest of his life with. They separated on relatively good terms, but it was just this side of awkward to see her again. They hadn't run into each other since he left New York the summer his fellowship started, so probably a good 8 years. The bits and pieces of news he still got about her came from Nancy, who always ran into her at OB GYN conferences and made sure Derek knew everything. Last he heard, she was married. He had to sigh at that. It took him a long time to get over the redhead, and hadn't been in a serious relationship until Meredith came along. But she got married and probably had the perfect husband, one who was more Bizzy's taste at least. He hoped she was happy.

Wondering when he would bump into her, he quietly closed the chart to get himself some coffee. He was almost certain it was going to be a long day.

Later in the day, Derek's feet unconsciously led him to none other than the Neonatal ICU. Why he was there, he wasn't entirely certain. If anyone asked, he'd say he was distracted. But the truth of the matter was that he was seeking her out, not just because it's been 6 hours since he heard the news and she hadn't turned up anywhere near him, but also because, well… what was that saying about curiosity killing the cat?

With only a little hesitation, he walked inside the NICU, eyes scanning between the incubators for a familiar head of red hair. He would know her hair anywhere, even under a scrub cap.

"I get the feeling I know who you're looking for," said a voice behind him, making him jump in surprise.

When he turned around, she was right there, dressed in Seattle Grace's customary dark blue scrubs, her hair up in a high pony tail, and looking for all the world like the Addison from eight years ago.

She gave him a huge grin, and he found he couldn't help the silly grin on his face either as he moved to embrace her. She wrapped her arms around him to accept, unable to fully believe she was right there, in his arms.

When she pulled back, he smiled. "Addison," he greeted lightly.

"Hey, Derek," she replied, the happiness completely evident on her face. "It's so good to see you."

"It's good to see you too," he replied sincerely. "I can't believe you're here."

"I know."

"I didn't think you'd ever leave New York," he said without much thought. He saw a hint of sadness flash in Addison's eyes before he saw her shrug.

"Yeah, well, things have been pretty complicated back there. I needed a change of pace," she explained vaguely. "So now I'm here."

"Now you're here," he smiled, eyes scanning over the rest of her body and noting that indeed, she had not aged. Or if she did, she aged very well.

"How've you been, Derek?" she asked, leading him deeper into the NICU so they wouldn't block the door. "You look exactly the way I remember. Except… your hair is a little longer," she said, hand automatically going up to his head to finger a lock of dark hair. "Very Russell Crowe."

Derek flushed a little at that. "I've been good," he replied. "Just very surprised to have you here."

"Good surprised, I hope?" she asked as she set her hand back down.

"Is anything ever really bad about you though?" he countered honestly.

Addison beamed at that. "I see you're still a flirt," she answered with a shake of her head but unable to take off that damn smile on her face.

"Not a flirt, just really honest," he replied, flashing her his signature McDreamy smile.

Addison hummed thoughtfully. "Now isn't the best time, but I'd love to be able to catch up with you and Mark. I ran into him this morning. He hasn't changed a single bit."

"No, he hasn't," he agreed. "Are you free tonight? If you are, we can grab a few drinks at this place down the street. Joe's. We can catch up there."

"That sounds great," she grinned. "I get off at 6."

"Me too. Meet you at the lobby? We can walk together."

"I'll be there," she smiled. She paused for a moment, a soft smile on her lips as she took a good look at Derek. "It really is lovely to see you again, Derek."

Derek smiled back sincerely, squeezing her arm. "I'll see you in a bit," he replied before leaning in to kiss her chastely on the cheek and then walking out of the NICU.

Well… that went a lot smoother, Derek thought as he walked back to the OR to check the board. Less awkward than he had imagined. There were many times he had imagined seeing Addison again, after they broke up. He had conjured different scenarios in his head, even practiced what he would say as he looked at himself in the bathroom mirror some mornings. He would practice the genuinely surprised face, the genuinely happy face, and the casual, nonchalant face when he was feeling exceptionally off his game. None of those scenarios played out, because he never imagined running into her in Seattle. More importantly, Addison was entirely different from the way he had imagined she would be in all the scenarios in his head. He had imagined her to be casual, unaffectionate, maybe even pretend like they hadn't spent 10 years together as a couple. But Addison was warm and welcoming and still absolutely gorgeous even in her scrubs now. She seemed genuinely happy to see him, a feeling he reciprocated wholeheartedly. And he found he wasn't mad that of all the scenes he had practiced, the one that didn't come to mind actually happened.

For all intents and purposes, Derek thought she was exactly the same. But he knew her so well that he also had a distinct feeling things weren't all sunshine and rainbows at this point in her life. He supposed he would find out more tonight. He pulled out his phone to text Mark and let him know about drinks at Joe's and then headed off to do one more surgery.

At 6:15, Derek saw Addison exit the elevators. She had her red hair down (the length just like the last time he saw her), wearing her street clothes. She wasn't wearing her usual ridiculous heels. Instead, she had jeans on and a long-sleeved shirt, her thick coat in one hand, and black boots on her feet. The Addison he knew rarely wore jeans, which confused him a little. But then again, it was well in the middle of winter and it wasn't exactly warm in this part of the world.

She saw him standing by the doors so she immediately made her way towards him as she shrugged on her coat.

"Sorry I'm a little late. I had to shower after my last patient's bag of waters ruptured all over me," she said apologetically.

Derek shook his head and smiled. "See, this is why I was so glad to be done with OB GYN when we were interns," he explained as he led her out of the hospital and started walking in the direction of Joe's. The chill of the January air immediately affronted them. "Amniotic fluid smells horrific. I don't know how you stand it."

"It's the miracle of life," she said, rolling her eyes as she matched his pace. "But I will agree it's a little disgusting when there's too much of it."

"The smell of it triggers really bad memories of when we were interns and we had to labor watch," he commented lightly. "I'm glad you showered before having drinks with Mark and me. I doubt Mark would be thrilled to have you smelling like amniotic fluid."

"I doubt anyone at this place we're going to would appreciate a patron smelling like it," she agreed good-naturedly. "But whatever. I'm sorry I ran late."

"It's no problem at all," he assured her. She flashed him a grateful smile and they continued walking to the bar in companionable silence.

When they got there, Mark already had a booth waiting for them. He was sipping a glass of scotch. Derek had to cringe at the booth Mark chose. It was in the corner, cramped, and Derek was sure Mark had chosen it intentionally.

"You go take a seat," Derek instructed Addison as he pointed to Mark. "I'll get us drinks. You still like martinis?"

Addison gave him a knowing smile and nodded. "Martini sounds perfect," she replied before walking towards Mark.

Derek got their drinks and walked over to their table. Halfway he noticed Mark was on one side, and Addison was on the other. He looked between the two of them for a second before he saw Mark inconspicuously slide to the middle of the seat so Derek wouldn't have space to sit next to him. Derek rolled his eyes and then made his way to the edge of the table and setting the drinks down.

"Hey, Derek," Mark grinned. "How'd your surgery go?"

"It was okay," he answered before he looked awkwardly between Addison and the bench. Addison gracefully slid in deeper so Derek would have space to sit on. He glared at Mark as he took his seat, ignoring Mark's sly grin.

"So, Mark tells me you're Head of Neurosurgery," Addison smiled proudly at Derek. "That's amazing."

Derek shook his head. "Not as amazing as Head of OB GYN and Neonatal," he replied. "You've done really well, Addie."

"Thank you," she said sincerely before turning her attention to Mark. "And I suppose you're Head of Plastics?"

"Why would you think that?" Mark asked, although there was a smirk on his face.

"Oh please, I know you two. You're competitive beyond words. There's no way you would have let this one become department head without you being close behind."

"He's not Head of Plastics," Derek replied as he took a swig of his scotch.

"He's not?"

Derek shook his head. "He's Head of ORL-HNS."

"God, I forgot you started in ENT," Addison grinned, taking Mark's hand and squeezing it. "That's amazing, Mark. Congratulations."

"Thanks, Addie," he replied. "So now the Three Musketeers are back, except this time we aren't interns anymore. All department heads. We've come a long way."

"We've definitely come a long way," Addison agreed, and then took a sip of her martini.

"So how have you been, Addison?" Mark asked, noting with a mischievous grin the barely-there space between Addison and Derek in the tight booth. It was precisely the reason he chose that spot instead of the usual tables. He knew Derek would be pissed, and he always liked to needle Derek when he could.

"I've been good," she replied with a smile.

"That's it?" he asked. "8 years and all you say is you've been good?" At Addison's shrug, Mark continued. "Nancy told us you got married. Where's this husband of yours? Is he moving down to Seattle?"

Derek shifted uncomfortably in his seat, hoping Addison wouldn't notice.

Addison gave Mark a pointed look before taking a long sip of her martini. When she set her glass down, she sighed. "It's a long story."

"The night is young," Mark replied, unfazed. He knew Derek wouldn't ask even if he was dying to know, too.

"I did get married," she said. "But we divorced about 5 months ago."

"Ouch," Mark grimaced sympathetically, not expecting her answer. "I'm sorry, Red." Between breaking off an engagement after a 10-year relationship, and a divorce as fresh as 5 months prior, Mark knew there was no way this could be easy for Addison.

Addison shrugged. "I'm okay. I'm getting over it. We were married for 3 years, and honestly towards the end we were acting like really good friends rather than husband and wife. So I guess we were on the road anyway."

"It still couldn't be easy, right Derek?" Mark asked, eyes on Derek who was quietly nursing his scotch.

"Right," Derek replied, turning his head to give Addison a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry to hear that," he said, his mind still trying to comprehend that Addison was single at this moment in time. Yeah, he felt bad that she was divorced, but a small part of him also felt (shamefully) triumphant.

"Is that why you moved down here?" Mark asked, well aware of how Addison's mind worked.

Addison shrugged. "Yeah, partly," she replied. "It was just… too much in New York after the divorce." She paused. "I guess I'll have to tell you guys everything for you to understand."

"Floor's yours," Mark said, gesturing with his hand and looking straight at Addison.

She looked between Mark and Derek, her two best friends with whom she lost contact with after breaking it off with Derek. It would be so easy to be open and honest with them—she hadn't found friends like them since things went south.

With a sigh, she continued. "Matthew and I got married three years ago. He's a great guy. Comes from a good family."

"I'm sure Bizzy approved," Derek commented off-handedly. Addison flashed him a look and then shrugged. It was no secret Bizzy disliked Derek Shepherd's humble upbringing, and disapproved of her daughter's relationship. It was a source of friction between Addison and Derek more than a couple of times, with Derek getting riled up and Addison trying her best to placate him.

"He's a Bradford. We're distantly related," Addison replied flatly. "But he was a good guy and we really did have a great relationship. I mean… I didn't date him until, like, three years after you and I broke up so…"

"You married your cousin," Mark pointed on a chuckle.

"Distant cousin," she corrected with a one finger up. "But anyway, we were great friends. And then half a year ago he dropped this huge bomb on me—"

"A huge bomb?" Derek questioned after a sip of his scotch.

Addison nodded and then paused. "Apparently," she said on a sigh, "he's gay."

Mark, who was in the middle of taking a sip of his own drink, spluttered unceremoniously in disbelief. Across him, Derek first had a look of utter surprise, and then was trying his hardest to school his face (though he wasn't very successful at holding back a mischievous grin).

Addison looked between the two boys and exhaled. "Go ahead, you can laugh," she said.

Mark bit his lip in an attempt to rein in his laughter, but after a valiant second of trying, he burst out laughing. Derek followed suit, shaking with laughter right next to Addison, who only rolled her eyes and took a long sip of her drink.

"Oh god… oh god," Mark cried, a tear falling from his eye as his stomach hurt with laughing. "Addison Montgomery…"

"That's insane," Derek laughed, coming down from the high and noticing Addison's pout.

"Who would have thought... the Addison Forbes Montgomery—"

"I know, I know," Addison cut him off with an eye roll and a dismissive wave of her hand. "It's okay to laugh," she said, but she was smiling. "Honestly, it wasn't funny at first, but now I can understand. It's like a big karmic joke."

Mark wiped at the tear that fell and then tried his best to school his face into one of sympathy. "That is… wow."

"I know," Addison repeated. "One day Matthew just came home, said he had a confession to make, and then proceeded to tell me he was gay. He's known since he was 12. But being a Bradford, there were appearances that had to be kept," she explained, thinking about how WASP-y the entire thing was.

"Bizzy must not have been very happy," Derek mused, a smile still on his face. He wasn't sure how he was feeling right now. As a friend, it was absolutely terrible that Addison had to go through that. But as her ex… well…

"She wasn't," Addison agreed flatly. "But I mean… I loved him like a dear friend and he assured me he loved me too. But it just wasn't the kind of love you need to stay in a marriage. So we separated. The divorce was finalized like a month later. His lawyers were pretty good."

"Wow," Mark repeated with a slight shake of his head. "I'm sorry, Addie."

"Honestly, it's fine. Towards the end of our marriage, like I said, we were more like friends than anything. It just got bad in the aftermath."

Derek gave her a questioning look.

Addison shrugged. "You know he's a doctor too, right?"

"Nancy mentioned he was a pediatrician," Mark replied, looking to Derek for confirmation. Derek only nodded.

"We worked together at Sinai. I didn't realize that after he came out to me, he meant to come out to the rest of the world, too. So right after the divorce went through, he insisted on being called Missy, even legally changed his… her name to Missy Bradford, and is already dating half of New York City's homosexual population. Which is fine, really. I'm happy for him and the freedom he's found. Lord knows living in a household like we both did growing up, the freedom is intoxicating."

"But you had to deal with that at the hospital," Derek said knowingly, fully aware that the gossip mill in any hospital churned like crazy. And news of Dr. Montgomery getting dumped was definitely a hot topic.

Addison groaned. "Not just at the hospital. Bizzy called, numerous times. The captain and Archer too. And of course, his parents and his sisters. It was a throng of people who were demanding an explanation for the divorce, and I just didn't have one. He's a great friend, and I didn't want to throw him under the bus."

"And of course you had an appearance to uphold too," Mark stated, knowing full well the kind of appearances you had to keep if you were brought up that way.

"That too," Addison sighed. "I mean, I love the guy, but I was a bit embarrassed to be walking into the hospital, and working with him and every other person who knew he dumped me because I didn't have the right appendage." She scrunched her nose at that.

"So you moved," Derek said plainly.

Addison shrugged. "Richard's offer came at a time when I really needed a change of scenery. I guess it worked out."

"Well," Mark started, "as terrible as it is for you to have gone through a divorce, I can't say I'm mad that you're out here in Seattle."

Addison smiled appreciatively. "I know. When Richard mentioned the two of you were here, it was all the convincing I needed. I at least knew I wouldn't be completely alone out here."

Derek smiled at Addison and nudged her with his elbow. "You're okay though?"

She nodded. "I'm okay. I'm happy for Matthew. He gets New York, which is the perfect place for him all things considered. And I get a fresh start somewhere else."

"I hope you like rain," Mark commented as he took a sip. "It rains an awful lot here."

"I heard," she replied. "But with the right hair product, it should be fine I think."

"You should ask Derek what he uses," Mark answered, gesturing towards Derek. "All that hair needs a lot of taming in this weather."

Addison turned to look at Derek with a smile. "It's nice to see that your hair is great as ever," she said honestly.

"Meredith makes sure to get him the right hair product," Mark said innocently.

Addison's brow furrowed. "Meredith?"

Derek cast Mark a quick glare before he turned to Addison. "My girlfriend."

A flash of something crossed Addison's features, and then she smiled excitedly at him. "I'd love to meet her."

"Oh, you'll get to meet her," Mark said surely, another sly grin on his face at Derek's warning expression. "She's an intern at the hospital."

Addison raised a perfectly arched brow at that. "An intern?"

Derek shrugged. "She's a great girl," he said by way of explanation, unable to look at Addison in the eyes.

Addison hummed thoughtfully before she nodded her head. "At least tell me you're happy," she said.

Derek paused, and then gave her a tight smile. "I'm happy, Addie."

"I'm happy too," Mark inserted. "Happy that you're here." With that, he raised his glass. "To old friends."

"To old friends," Addison grinned as she clinked her glass with Mark's.

"To old friends," Derek murmured, mirroring their actions but looking intently at Addison's profile. He was in trouble for sure.

In between the snowfall in Seattle and the post-Holiday rush, Derek was knee-deep in craniotomies, clot evacuations, and other emergency cases that he didn't see much of Addison or Mark in the week that followed her arrival. More importantly, he hadn't had the time to dwell on the fact that Addison was indeed very present in Seattle, or that he hadn't mentioned to Meredith that the new head of neonatal and OB GYN was his ex-fiancee in the flesh.

Meredith knew he was in a long-term relationship once. He just never told her he was engaged—it was a fact that at that time was too much to lay out in the open. He had moved on after that, but it took a long while to do so, especially since he and Addison had dated for a decade. All through medical school and residency, they had spent hours and years side by side to become the doctors they were. Much of who he was as a physician was influenced by Addison, and he was pretty sure it was the same for her as well. And honestly, much of who he was aside from being a physician was also largely influenced by her. While they ended on mutual terms, it didn't mean it was any less hard to separate from the woman he had spent a considerable time with. So after her, he had dated, but nothing too serious. At least not until Meredith. And even then, he hadn't divulged that he was thisclose to marrying the now very accomplished surgeon strutting her heels at Seattle Grace.

After a particularly long surgery where the patient coded twice, Derek stared blankly at the OR board in front of him. He wasn't sure he could take another surgery today. And he wouldn't. He wasn't on call today but he had to go in because of a 3-car pile up on the freeway.

Mark saw him from across the hall and walked up, standing next to him in front of the OR board.

"You look like a train ran you over," he remarked casually.

"Thanks," Derek replied dryly, eyes still scanning the board but not really comprehending anything written on it.

Mark's eyes went to the board too. "Addison has a sacrohysteropexy in OR 3," he commented. "Sounds interesting. Want to watch?"

Derek frowned. "Not really. I'm exhausted. I just want to go home."

Mark nodded sympathetically. "Have you had lunch?"

Derek glanced at the clock right above the board and saw that it was 3:00 pm. "I haven't had breakfast," he replied tiredly.

"Come on, they don't need you right now. Let's go grab a sandwich or something."

Without any further prodding, Derek followed Mark to the cafeteria, finally noticing how his stomach growled in hunger. He walked like a zombie behind Mark, so Mark took pity and grabbed two sandwiches and two coffees while Derek followed him lamely.

They both took a seat at an empty table in the cafeteria, Derek almost immediately devouring the sandwich. Mark eyed him suspiciously.

"Do they not feed you at Meredith's house? You eat like a caveman."

"My last meal was yesterday's lunch," Derek admitted between bites. "It's just been a really busy couple of days."

"Yesterday's lunch? Seems like last week's lunch," Mark commented blandly as he eyed Derek's sandwich, already half done.

Derek shrugged before swallowing and taking a tentative sip of the hot coffee.

Mark gave him a look before he took a bite of his own sandwich. "Addison had an ex-lap yesterday," he said. "I sat in the gallery."

Derek nodded. "Was it any good?"

"Well if we're talking skill, you already know she's good," Mark answered. "But it was run of the mill. Took an ovary and a fallopian tube out and then it was done in like… an hour."

"That's fast," Derek commented with slight fascination as he took a bite.

"It is fast," Mark agreed, sipping his coffee. "You got a chance to catch up with her yet?"

"Between a 3-car pile up and nearly everyone and their fathers having a stroke after the holidays? Not really," Derek answered flatly. "Haven't even had the chance to talk to Meredith about it."

"Meredith doesn't know?"

Derek shrugged. "I'm sure she knows there's a new department head in town. But I don't think she knows it's my ex."

"Ex-fiancee," Mark corrected. "That's a big thing. You have to tell her."

"I will," Derek said as he rolled his eyes. "But I just haven't gotten the chance."

"You at least better tell Bailey not to assign her to Addie's service. Addie knows you're dating Meredith, and she's smart enough to make a connection."

Derek groaned at that. "I need the gods that be to cut me some slack right now." He paused, putting his sandwich down. "Between all of these surgeries and my ex-fiancee showing up, I really really need a break."

Mark cast him a sympathetic look. "I thought you were okay with Addie being here."

"I am," he replied defensively. And then realizing his tone, he sighed. "I'm okay that Addie is here. But I also haven't had the chance to really think things through."

"What's there to think about? You've moved on, she's moved on, and we can all go back to being friends."

"Mark, you know what it was like after."

Mark frowned as he nodded in concession. Derek did take it hard. Breaking up with Addison and then moving halfway across the country was one of Derek's lowest moments. He pursued his career over a relationship with the redhead, and while he made that decision with Addison, Mark knew he still harbored regrets over it. When they heard that Addison got married three years ago, Derek drank himself stupid before finally making a serious effort to move on.

"Well. You've moved on. You have Meredith. I think you've come pretty far from the train wreck you were after you broke up. Unless…"

Derek sighed. "Unless what?"

"Unless you're not over her."

He exhaled heavily at that. "I don't know. I'm pretty sure I am. But is anyone ever really over Addison Montgomery?"

Mark considered this for a moment. He himself used to have feelings for Addison, in medical school, when she was stupidly in love with Derek and saw no one else but him. But Mark stepped aside in order not to shake things up, and he eventually got over it. Or as over it as could be because Derek was right—no one is ever really over Addison Montgomery, at least not completely.

"Is it gonna be a problem?" Mark asked slowly, eyeing his best friend carefully.

"I hope not," was Derek's reply before he finished the last of his sandwich.

"How are you liking it here, Addie?" Richard asked as he walked alongside Addison in the catwalk.

Addison had been working at Seattle Grace for 3 full weeks now. She was busy running two departments and still seeing private patients, so it was definitely an adjustment on her side. But she was nothing if not determined and efficient, and her new merged department was running smoothly like clockwork.

"I like it here," she confirmed, one hand holding a cup of coffee, the other hand stuffed in her white coat pocket. "The people are nice, and the facilities are great."

"I bet you didn't think there were topnotch facilities this side of the country."

She shook her head with a smile. "Admittedly, no. But I'm pleasantly surprised."

"With your expertise, we'll be the forerunner in maternal and fetal medicine in no time. We're already seeing an uptrend in in-patients since you assumed position."

"It's only been 3 weeks. That's purely coincidental."

"Coincidental?" Richard asked in surprise. "I doubt it. Addison, if you don't know by now, you're an excellent, sought-out surgeon. I lucked out when I was able to convince you to move out here."

Addison shrugged. "Like I told you, your offer just came at a time when I really needed a change of environment. It's been good so far."

"You've been making friends?"

Addison paused to consider this. "You mean aside from Mark and Derek?"

"Mark and Derek are a given, although I must say I'm surprised you and Derek are getting along well."

Addison furrowed her brow in confusion. As far as she knew, when she and Derek broke up, they agreed to still be friends. "Why does that surprise you?"

Richard gave her a pointed look as he opened the door at the end of the catwalk to lead her to his office. "Addison."

Addison sighed. "I thought it would be awkward working with him, but honestly I haven't seen him much since I got here. And even then, when we did catch up for a bit, it was pleasant. I really did miss him and Mark."

"I think they missed you too," Richard replied as they entered his office. "Mark was very excited to learn you were joining the staff."

Addison smiled at that as she took a seat across Richard's table. "He's like a little boy."

Richard shook his head. "Tell that to the 42 nurses he's slept with."

She giggled as she set her coffee down on the side table. "He's the same old Mark." She and Derek used to refer to him as their overgrown child.

"Derek is the same old Derek, too."

"Really?"

"Well, not completely," Richard conceded. "But he's mostly the same. You know he's dating Ellis Grey's daughter?"

"Wait, the Meredith he's dating is Ellis Grey's daughter?" Addison asked in surprise.

He nodded. "She's a surgical intern here. Smart. Very talented."

"I would assume so," she smiled, impressed. Derek did have good taste.

"You okay with that?" Richard asked tentatively.

"Me?" Addison replied, again a little shocked. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"I mean, you know. You and Derek—"

"Richard, I was married for 3 years," she responded knowingly, laughing a little. "I'm pretty sure I've moved on from Derek Shepherd. He can date who he wants. I'm just glad to be able to reconnect with him and Mark again."

Richard nodded approvingly. "I'm glad to hear it. I'm sure you'll make more friends here in no time."

Addison smiled. "I have. The people here are nice. Miranda has been kind, and Callie Torres and I have shared a few laughs at the nurse's station. I'm doing pretty good in the socializing department."

"You've met our other department heads?"

"I've met Preston," she replied. "He seems nice. I sat in on one of his surgeries."

"He's a good surgeon. He's in the running for chief."

Addison nodded approvingly. "Well deserved."

"Derek is, too" Richard replied. "I'll be stepping down in about a year or two." And then he paused. "Come to think of it, you're in the running too, you know? In a year or two, you'll have established yourself enough in this hospital that you could be the next chief."

"Richard," she chided gently. "While I'm most certainly flattered, I think we should take it a step at a time. You gave me a mammoth of an assignment merging two departments under one head, and I'm still trying to juggle all of that right now."

"You're doing a beautiful job," he said honestly. "The nurses and residents have told me it's been a smooth transition so far."

"Well, that's certainly reassuring," she said appreciatively. "Thank you for the trust."

"Addison, you are my star," ignoring how Addison rolled her eyes, "you keep up the good work and I can almost guarantee you—"

"Okay, okay," Addison replied. "I get the picture. Truly, it's an honor. But let's not get ahead of ourselves here."

"The Addison I know is competitive and determined. I thought you'd jump at this chance," Richard asked, marveling at the change.

She shrugged in response. "You go through a grinder like a divorce, and it puts life into perspective for you. What matters and what doesn't. I think my personal life needs a little settling before I set my eyes on something even more challenging career-wise."

Richard smiled in a fatherly way, pride showing through his expression. "For what it's worth Addison, I hope you find what it is you're looking for here."

Addison returned the smile and nodded gratefully. "Me too."

A/N: TA-DA! This is Chapter Number 1! Hope you guys let me know what you think. Take care and stay safe!